12 Feb Robert L. Hance
Bob Hance is a rural electric cooperative veteran, spending his entire 50-year career in the industry. Within the electric cooperative industry, Hance has earned a reputation as a leader and a trailblazer. In 2019, he was awarded NRECA’s prestigious President’s Award for his efforts to bridge the digital divide, and in 2023, he won the Impact Award – Greatest Technical Achievement in Connecting the Unconnected at the U.S. Broadband Summit.
He pushed MEC to become one of the first electric cooperatives nationwide to bring fiber to its electric customers. He continues to lead the company’s fiber expansion efforts, resulting in roughly $80 million in funding from the federal government and the State of Michigan. He continues to work as a tireless advocate for rural broadband at the national and local level and is frequently tapped as a subject matter on funding and other barriers to rural broadband.
Hance is a founding member of the Rural Broadband Council and a member of the Rural Broadband Coalition. He is a member of the Calix Leadership Advisory Board, former Chairman and current Vice Chairman of the RESCO board and serves on the Boards of Directors for the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA), and Spartan Renewable Energy and Utilities Telecom Council (UTC). In 2023, he retired from the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) board after serving 12 years.
